Tasneem Ahsanullah 
Photography

Paradise spiders get their name because of their elaborate courtship behaviors and colorful body parts similar to birds of paradise. For an arthropod these spiders have surprisingly complex communication methods.

Robber fly (Polacantha) eating a jumping spider in my backyard in Austin, TX! Robber flies will eat any insect or in this case arachnid they can. The way they eat is pretty gruesome. Using their proboscis (long pointy mouthpart), they inject their prey with neurotoxins which paralyze the prey and enzymes which help digest the prey. Then once the inside of the prey is basically liquified the robber fly drinks the insides. Like something out of a science fiction/horror movie.

This is a picture of a sunset on Bald Head Island where I used to live. I actually took this photo with my macro lens and was surprised at how well it captured the landscape. The beaches on Bald Head Island were normally pretty empty in the winter which made them a peaceful serene place to walk especially at sunset.